“Your Majesty, I present Servicer Samuel and Servicer Cadell.” Zeke bowed low before the North King, and a wave of murmurs ran through the many courtiers that had been milling about the throne room. Everyone had been excitedly waiting to receive the Prince’s betrothed, whom was due to arrive any day, but the arrival of the mysterious Servicers had distracted them thoroughly.

“I see. I understand you are here on official business from the Ruling Family.” The entire throne room went completely silent. Lord’s and Ladies barely dared to breathe as they stared at the Servicers whom stood poised with their feet shoulder width apart, and their hands clasped behind their backs.

Aidan O’Malley stared soberly at the men in front of him, one of his eyebrows raised as he waited for them to speak. He was also keenly aware of his own Servicer becoming incredibly shifty behind him, and felt his fingers twitch towards the hilt of his own sword in response.

“Yes, your majesty.” Cadell answered in a tone that was more domineering than submissive before the monarch.

The room exploded in whispers, and Aidan became keenly aware of every courtier’s Servicer standing almost at attention as though ready to move into action. It was the first time the King had noticed the 6 Servicer’s positioned in the shadows around the room, all accompanying their master’s or mistresses, all clad in all black. They had been there for years, and yet, Aidan had never truly observed them.

“You were found in combat against my citizens in the middle of a busy street. How do you explain this behavior?” Aidan questioned, his eyes finding Cadell’s face, and fixing him with a particularly serious expression.

The Servicer’s minor response was a small-bemused tick of his eyebrow before answering;

“We have been instructed to retrieve Servicer Arlen, Son of Ida from his duty. He along with his traveling companions cut through your Settlement earlier today.” Aidan felt the tension in the room disappear from every Servicer present, but the former threatening atmosphere was burned into his awareness.

“I see. He is the Servicer of Lady Agnes Beatha is he not? Why is it that the Ruling Family wishes to retrieve him?”

Aidan knew he should take the conversation away from so many gossiping mouths, but something about the untethered Servicer’s in front of him, made him incredibly wary of being alone.

“He has deviated from his vows.” It was the Servicer named Samuel who relayed this information with Cadell not even batting an eye.

Every Servicer back stiffened.

Aidan leaned back in his throne, and studied the 2 Servicer’s in front of him carefully. They looked as though they had seen more than one physical conflict, and Aidan felt a small growing admiration of Arlen if he had held himself in combat between the 2 of them.

“That is most troubling. How has he deviated from his vows?”

“That is deemed confidential information of the Ruling Family.” Cadell replied levelly.

“I understand the need for privacy, of course. However, I must insist upon you informing us all if any of our Servicers are at risk of deviating. I am sure that you are aware that we are in the presence of many bonded Servicers ourselves, and it is important that we all know if this is a potential threat to all of us. Has Servicer Arlen harmed Lady Beatha? Or is he in any way responsible for her disappearance from Duke Sean O’Farrell’s keep?”

Aidan knew that was not at all what had happened- but if he could aid the Duke in saving face and gaining the favor of the people, why not?

His suggestion caught on like spilled oil and a match.

Despite the levity of the situation regarding deviant Servicers, every courtier mouth was set in motion as they all gasped in the realization that the foolish Lady Beatha might have been abducted rather than simply insolent.

“While we can confirm that no one bonded to a Servicer is in any kind of danger, we are not allowed to discuss the specifics of Lady Beatha and her Servicer Arlen at this time.” There was a glimmer of amused respect in Cadell’s expression. He knew exactly what groundwork the King had just laid.

“Very well. Are you aware of where Lady Beatha and Servicer Arlen are heading?”

“It is only the Servicer we are tracking at this time.” Samuel blurted out before realizing his error.

Cadell’s face turned stony, and despite not moving a centimeter towards Samuel, the Servicer winced as though an unseen reprimand was dealt.

“Do you mean to tell me that Lady Beatha is not with her Servicer?” The King boomed. The throne room once again fell quiet.

Cadell’s jaw tightened, but after a moment of careful thought, answered:

“She and her Servicer have been separated for at least 2 months at this time. We have no notion of her whereabouts. You will have to forgive us your majesty, she is not our concern.” The throne room erupted in whispers of concern surrounding poor Lady Beatha.

“Now that we have answered your questions, we ask for your full cooperation as we have already lost time that we require to be spent in search of the deviated Servicer. We recommend that if you want to find Lady Beatha, to find other means of tracking her down.”

“Thank you Servicer Cadell and Servicer Samuel. I believed Duke O’Farrell has already seen to tracking her down by other means. We wish you the best on your endeavor.” The 2 Servicer’s bowed shallowly, turned in perfect unison, and then strode from the throne room with straight backs and a brisk pace.

“My liege, should we not offer them supplies and horses for their search?” Ekon’s voice whispered in Aidan’s left ear, sending a chill down his spine, and making his stomach clench. He had not heard the Servicer approach him.

“No Ekon. I trust your people to have their own methods to their search. They would have requested any aid they required.” Aidan was actively trying not to pull away from his Servicer. Ever since the night his son had been returned, there was a small nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that had been growing substantially, and he had lived long enough to know that he should never ignore his gut instinct.

“Of course your majesty.” Ekon sounded annoyed, but slowly the Servicer left his position.

The King began slowly rubbing his temples. At least it would be easier excusing Lady Beatha, and opening up social avenues for them once she married Sean.

“My King!” Aidan fought off a wince, as Zeke appeared in front of the throne once more, his excitement palatable.

“The bride of the crown Prince has arrived!” The guests were beside themselves with the excitement of the day. There was a kidnapped Lady, a deviated Servicer, and now the future Queen of the North Kingdom had just arrived.

“Sir Zeke, please see that our head of Housekeeping has prepared her chambers, as well as the rooms assigned for her traveling party.” Zeke gave a low bow.

The King stood, and turned to stare at his son whom was standing against the far wall on his right hand side. He was almost invisible to everyone, but had been watching the room’s occupants and events very carefully.

After exchanging a short nod together, the two of them retreated from the throne room through the single door along the back wall, and as Ekon turned to follow, Aidan raised a hand and stopped him. He said nothing else other than a brief shake of his head. Ekon bowed respectfully, but his lips were pursed as though he wanted to make an angry complaint.

Once the King and his son were alone in the small chamber Aidan used for intimate meetings, he turned with his arms crossed and a deep frown.

“My dearest… As horrible your time in Rockfell, and journey home was, could you please tell me everything about your experience traveling with Lady Beatha and her Servicer?”

The Prince’s face drained of color at recalling his traumatic experience, and so he slowly sat down on one of the wooden chairs that was set up in the middle of the room across from another grander chair.

“I remember nothing of my rescue. Muffled voices, and blurry lights for the first day. I remember waking up in the cart afterwards, and Lady Beatha cleaning up after me.” The Prince’s throat tightened in humiliation as he recalled Aggie tight lipped with a rag mopping up vomit from his face.

“The Servicer was quiet for the most part aside from when he would speak to Lady Beatha. He was a competent soldier when I last saw him… and is most likely even more skilled by now.” After a thoughtful pause, the Prince continued.

“Lady Beatha was a quick study for hand to hand combat, but it was obvious that both her Servicer and the bounty hunter were reluctant to teach her anything aside from dodging. She has exceptional aim however. One of the better knife throwers I’ve seen.”

“How would she measure up against Sean?” The King asked with a small smile, hoping to take away some of the pain in his son’s voice.

“If she has improved since I’ve seen her, they might be evenly matched.”

The King’s eyebrows shot up. He had been jesting, but apparently he had underestimated the Lady’s abilities.

“Do you think that the Servicer is truly deviated?” The King asked slowly, dropping his voice to barely a whisper.

“I… don’t know father. He… he was very fixated on his Lady though. They were close. I do not think he has done her any harm. In fact… if I were to guess… I think he would be trying to find her himself. I do not think he ran away from her. I think she would’ve had to have been forcibly removed from his protection.”

“I see… I suppose the question now becomes whom took her, and what has made her Servicer deviated.”

The Prince nodded solemnly. He studied his father for a moment before saying;

“Father, I notice you no longer take Ekon with you everywhere.”

The King stiffened, and his bright green eyes snapped to his son’s face.

“Yes. Have you heard him say anything?”

“No I haven’t, but Father why-”

“Another time and place son, I promise, I will explain. For now, please do not trust any Servicer, and do not share any crucial information with any of them.” The Prince felt incredibly uneasy at his Father’s words, but he knew his father was a brilliant man. There had to be an excellent reason for his ambiguous warning.

“Shall we go greet your blushing bride to be?”

“Are you set on using alliterations for the night?”

“It’s important to set attainable aims at alternate forms of speech. To challenge oneself.”

“Why couldn’t you make poor jokes like Lady Maud’s father?”

“That is already his trait, I wouldn’t want to seem imposing on something he is so well known for.”

*

Ekon pulled away from the door frustrated. He couldn’t hear anything prior to the King and Prince jesting back and forth with one another about the Prince’s betrothed. The throne room had been noisy, as all the courtiers had excitedly filed out in order to catch a glimpse of the future monarch.

As he turned around, he found that while the throne room had emptied, there was one witness to his sin of eavesdropping.

A woman with a pasty expression, a long black dress buttoned to her throat, and dark brown wavy hair pinned close to her head.

“Servicer Ekon.” She curtsied with all the poise and grace of a Queen.

“I am Servicer Vera. I am here with my Mistress Lady Maud, the future Queen of the North Kingdom, the betrothed of the Prince.”

She was young, but there was a somber depth in her expression, and coldness in her eyes that were dark enough to appear black.

“Servicer Vera, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Ekon bowed deeply, and smoothly walked towards her with his fingertips pressed together.

“Come, we have much to discuss before the festivities of the evening begin.”

Vera walked alongside Ekon gracefully, with her eyes cast to the floor and her hands gently clasped in front of her.

“I saw Samuel and Cadell leaving upon our arrival. I trust their business has been seen to?” She asked casually, though Ekon was surprised at her directness.

“It has not been resolved yet, but knowing their previous work, it will not be long before it is finished.”

“I am glad to hear that.” Her tone didn’t betray a single emotion, and Ekon studied her carefully through a sidelong gaze. He had seen those striking dark eyes before only moments before. He reasoned quickly enough that Servicer Samuel and Servicer Vera had to have been from the same mother or father as the eyes were identical to each other.

“How do you find being bonded to Lady Maud?” He asked airily as a stream of maids rushed past them.

“It is… adequate. For now.”

Ekon stopped, and turned sharply.

“Servicer Vera. You are speaking quite candidly, and I’m not sure I can condone your carelessness with your words.”

Vera went very still before she turned to face Ekon, a chilling calm in her face.

“Chastise me if you see fit, however, I have been somewhat distraught since getting to know Lady Maud. Would you like to know why?”

Ekon conveyed a look of such impatience that while he was unmoving outwardly, the vision of him impatiently tapping his foot was far from reality.

“Servicer Ekon, I was told upon being assigned to Lady Maud, that I was being sent to an undisciplined naïve child, whom could be responsible for the end of the Ruling Family, and could rise to a power capable of bringing the greatest Kings, Queens, Emperors, or Empresses to their knees. I was assigned to this child to tame her. To make her subdued, obedient, and as uninteresting as a cockroach under my shoe.”

Ekon’s eyebrows furrowed. He did not like her speaking so openly about her true intentions with her Mistress so carelessly, but he could not deny his curiosity about a human woman who could threaten every great power there was.

“Instead, I meet Lady Maud. A pretty, obedient, optimistic woman, whose only ambition is to encourage the studying of biological differences in the different species, and to tailor society to better serve its citizens. She needs a political powerhouse for a Servicer- given her pending marriage. I was not trained for politics, laws, or cultures. What little etiquette I know, she has mastered.”

“The Ruling Family’s Seers are not ever wrong. They must have seen that your particular skill sets would be best for Lady Maud in time.”

“I have a different theory, Servicer Ekon.” Ekon let out an aggravated sigh. He was already drafting the official complaint he would send to the Ruling Family about Servicer Vera’s insolence.

“I believe that I was sent to the wrong woman.”

Ekon was drafting his thesis argument of his complaint in his mind when he stopped.

“The Ruling Family does not make mistakes.”

“And Servicer’s do not deviate. Yet they do.”

“Lady Maud could grow to be the woman you described. You have been with her for less than a year, do you claim to know better than the Ruling Family?”

The hollering voices of servants nearing them once more, drove Ekon to seize Vera’s arm and thrust her into the nearest room- which turned out to be a former tutoring room the Prince had studied in during his youth.

2 long desks coated in dust stood in the otherwise empty room.

“You need to watch your tongue Servicer Vera. Always be on guard- there is always a hungry ear in a King’s home.”

“That is exactly the political nonsense I’m referring to Ekon. I do not know or care to learn about which maid slept with which Lord, and whom Lady Olga might dance with this evening.” She mocked desperately.

Before Ekon could snap at her in outrage, she plundered on.

“Servicer Ekon, listen to me. I was told that the woman I was being assigned to, was betrothed to a future King- and that she would most likely try to run away from him.” Ekon felt his heart flip. He suddenly knew whom that sounded like…

“-I was also told, that she was from the family of Life Givers. That her children would carry powerful magicks and with them, they would continue on her work, and change the world as we know it.”

Ekon felt his blood turn cold.

There had been a mistake after all.

A horrible, horrible mistake.